MacRumors

Following the release of the first public beta for iOS 9.1 yesterday, along with the GM version on Wednesday, a few of the testers have come across a new feature introduced in the update. Somewhere in the Settings app, it appears that Apple has quietly added a set-up process for the new "Hey Siri" feature coming to the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, thanks to a built-in M9 motion coprocessor that enables the phones' always-on functionality.

Although unconfirmed by Apple, the discovery in iOS 9.1 suggests that Siri will be able to begin detecting specific user voices and determine whether or not the owner of the iPhone in question is speaking to her. Similar in vein to the way Apple aimed its Touch ID feature to work better and better the more you unlocked an iPhone using the fingerprint scanning sensor, it seems the set-up process will guide users into stating words or phrases to better acclimate Siri with each iPhone owner.

Found in General > Siri > Allow 'Hey Siri', the new always-on feature is the next step-up in the technology by Apple, allowing users to ask Siri questions or make changes within the iPhone's apps by simply stating "Hey Siri" near the iPhone. The new set-up process discovered today could also just be a way for Siri to work better detecting voices in general, and not be specific to each user. With the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus launching in just two weeks, it won't be long until everyone can find out for themselves.

Thanks Alan and Daniel!

Apple's new iPad Pro is powered by a 64-bit A9X processor that delivers up to 1.6 times faster performance over the iPad Air 2, with up to twice as fast graphics. Apple also says the tablet is faster than 80% of portable PCs shipped in the last 12 months.

Apple's website notes the underlying technology behind the iPad Pro's desktop-class performance is a new storage controller that increases read and write speeds so that large files, such as 4K videos or RAW photos imported from an HD camera, can be opened much quicker (via AppleInsider).

The A9X chip is capable of processing data so quickly, it demanded a new memory architecture. iPad Pro features a revamped storage controller that helps deliver performance better than some desktop computers. This increases read and write speeds, so you can quickly open even the largest files. Like the big 4K movie you just edited or all the RAW images you imported from your HD camera.

iPad Pro launches in November in Silver, Space Gray and Gold, starting at $799 for a 32GB Wi-Fi only model. A 128GB Wi-Fi only model will cost $949 and a Wi-Fi + LTE 128GB model will cost $1,079. A new Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard will launch alongside the tablet for $99 and $169 respectively.

One of the novel new features coming in the iPhone 6s is the new Live Photos feature which captures an additional 3 seconds of video surrounding photos on the new iPhones. The new feature is on by default and allows you to take photos as usual. Apple describes it:

A still photo captures an instant frozen in time. With Live Photos, you can turn those instants into unforgettable living memories. At the heart of a Live Photo is a beautiful 12‑megapixel photo. But together with that photo are the moments just before and after it was taken, captured with movement and sound

Live Photos will be viewable on existing iPhones, iPads, Macs and Apple Watch devices with the latest operating systems. Apple is also opening up the API for developers to support the new format in their own apps. Facebook has already committed to supporting Live Photos in their iOS app later this year.

While few details about the new image format has been released, TechCrunch's Matthew Panzarino reveals in a video that the new format will take up approximate twice the space of a normal 12MP photo. Panzarino describes that even the current iPhones start taking photos the moment the Camera app is launched, and that traditionally, only the last photo the moment the shutter is pressed is stored. The new system will simply take the surrounding photos and compress them into this new format.

Meanwhile, @DanMatte reveals that the new Live Photos format is a bundle of images based on the JPEG file format, allowing them to be easily sent as a still image to devices that don't support Live Photo. Apple's developer documents indicate that you can share the image as a regular JPEG if desired.

More details should come out as the new iPhones begin shipping on September 25th.

Following yesterday's big media event, Apple seeded the first beta of iOS 9.1 to developers, and now the company has made iOS 9.1 available to public beta testers. iOS 9.1 includes features for the iPad Pro, adding support for accessories like the Smart Keyboard and the Apple Pencil, both of which were designed for the larger-screened tablet.

iOS 9.1 also offers support for Unicode 8, introducing a selection of new emoji like taco, burrito, unicorn face, hot dog, popcorn, turkey, cheese wedge, and more. In the Settings app, users have found a new Siri setting that lets you give voice examples for the "Hey Siri" feature that can be activated whenever the iPhone is connected to power. With the new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, this will be essential because "Hey Siri" activation can be used even when an iPhone is not plugged in.

Beta testers who have signed up for Apple's beta testing program appear to be receiving the iOS 9.1 beta as an over-the-air update, so it may be available to testers who were previously running iOS 9 beta 5.

People who want to be a part of Apple's beta testing program can sign up to participate through Apple's beta testing website, which gives users access to both iOS and OS X betas.

iOS 9.1 will likely be released to the public alongside the iPad Pro in November.

Apple has set higher prices for the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus in Canada, Australia and other countries to reflect a strengthening U.S. dollar and fluctuating currency exchange rates.

The off-contract prices for the iPhone 6s Plus in Canada, for example, are $1,029, $1,159 and $1,289 CAD for 16GB, 64GB and 128GB of storage space respectively.

Comparatively, the iPhone 6 Plus cost $969, $1,099 and $1,229 in Canadian dollars for the same capacities prior to Apple's media event yesterday. That is $60 less for each model.

The off-contract prices for the iPhone 6s Plus in Australia are $1,229, $1,379 and $1,529 AUD for 16GB, 64GB and 128GB of storage respectively. Earlier this week, the iPhone 6 Plus retailed for $1,149, $1,299 and $1,449 in Australian dollars for the same storage sizes respectively.

Similarly, the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus have higher prices at launch than the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in euro-based countries such as France, Germany, Italy and The Netherlands. The base 16GB iPhone 6 retailed for €699 last September, for example, while the 16GB iPhone 6s will debut for €739.

Not all countries have been affected by the exchange rate, however, as the iPhone 6s Plus is priced the same as the iPhone 6 Plus in the United Kingdom. iPhone 6 Plus was most recently priced at £619, £699 and £789 in the U.K. for 16GB, 64GB and 128GB respectively, while the iPhone 6s Plus will have equal prices.

The new iPhone 6s Plus retains the same pricing as the iPhone 6 Plus in the U.S.

Alongside its slew of product announcements yesterday, Apple registered several new web domains related to the term "Magic Keyboard", including applemagickeyboard.com, applemagickeyboard.net, and applemagickeyboards.com.

While Apple did announce a new keyboard cover for the upcoming iPad Pro at yesterday's event, the product is called Smart Keyboard. It is possible Apple is simply looking to secure domains similar to the Smart Keyboard name, but perhaps a more likely possibility is that it is the name for Apple's upcoming wireless keyboard revealed in regulatory filings last month.

Apple already offers a Magic Mouse and a Magic Trackpad, and last month's FCC filings revealed a "Magic Mouse 2" name for the upgraded accessory, so it seems reasonable Apple could be looking to introduce a "Magic Keyboard." The publicly released portion of the filing for the keyboard did not, however, reveal any new "magical" features as it only showed a bottom view of the accessory for the purpose of illustrating where regulatory labels would be displayed.

Aside from the newly registered domains, we've been unable to find any other references linking Apple to the "Magic Keyboard" name. Searches of trademark databases for many countries did not reveal any such filings that could be plausibly linked to Apple.

It remains to be seen when Apple will introduce its new keyboard and mouse revealed in the FCC filings, but it could possibly come alongside new 21.5-inch Retina 4K iMacs that are just going into production ahead of a release later this year.

T-Mobile customers should notice an improved LTE experience in the United States with the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, as Apple has included support for LTE band 12 on the new smartphones. Both GSM and CDMA models of the new iPhones support the 700MHz spectrum.

Model A1633 and Model A1634
LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)

Model A1688 and Model A1687
LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)

T-Mobile uses the 700MHz spectrum to offer what it calls T-Mobile Extended Range LTE across the U.S., which it says extends the network's LTE signal twice as far from its cellular towers and works four times better in buildings. T-Mobile Extended Range LTE is live in 170 markets and covers more than half of the American population.

T-Mobile plans to cover another 600,000 square miles with Extended Range LTE over the next three months, expanding coverage to over 260,000 homes each week to reach over 350 markets across the U.S. T-Mobile shared a map of its projected cellular coverage in the U.S. through the end of the year to highlight its progress.

T-Mobile is confident enough that customers will be satisfied with their network coverage that it has announced a Lifetime Coverage Guarantee for the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus purchased through JUMP! On Demand. The carrier will unlock your iPhone and offer partial refunds to customers that are unhappy with their coverage.

For as long as you use your iPhone 6s or 6s Plus on T-Mobile, if you aren’t completely satisfied with your coverage experience we’ll refund you for every penny you’ve paid for your new device in the first month, or after that, we’ll unlock it at no charge so you can use it with one of the other wireless companies. We’ll even refund up to a full month of your service.

T-Mobile has also announced that it will be offering the iPhone 6s through JUMP! On Demand for $0 down with equal monthly payments of $20 for 18 months. At the end of the 18 months, you can return your iPhone to T-Mobile and pay nothing more or pay an additional $164 more to keep the iPhone 6s -- a total cost of $524, which is $125 cheaper than Apple's $649 price.

T-Mobile CEO John Legere also announced on Twitter that the carrier will begin selling the Apple Watch, although he stopped short of providing a specific release date. Since launching in April, the Apple Watch has slowly been expanding to resellers such as Best Buy in the U.S. and other countries following a period where sales were limited to Apple Stores and select fashion boutiques.

Adobe published a press release on Wednesday (via G4Games) to highlight its new Creative Cloud mobile apps, and in doing so has seemingly revealed the new iPad Pro has 4GB of RAM (emphasis ours):

iPad Pro is great for creative workflows with a high res 12.9″ touch screen display at 2732 x 2048 pixels, A9X chip, and 4GB RAM.

Apple does not list the iPad Pro's RAM on the tablet's tech specs page, but a teardown of the device in the near future should reveal if Adobe's claim is accurate. We've also reached out to Apple for comment.

iPad Pro features a 12.9-inch fully laminated display with a 2732x2048 pixels resolution at 264 PPI, 64-bit A9X processor, four-speaker audio system, 8-megapixel iSight camera, Touch ID, Smart Connector, Lightning connector and dual microphones.

Apple also introduced two new accessories for the iPad Pro: the Smart Keyboard and Apple Pencil. Apple Pencil ($99) is a precise drawing tool for iPad Pro, while the Smart Keyboard ($169) is an attachable, full-size keyboard cover.

iPad Pro launches in November in Silver, Space Gray and Gold, starting at $799 for a 32GB Wi-Fi only model. A 128GB Wi-Fi only model will also be available for $949 and a Wi-Fi + LTE 128GB model will retail for $1,079.

Update: Adobe's updated press release no longer mentions 4GB of RAM.

One of the big announcements coming out of Apple's "Hey Siri" event in San Francisco today was the new and improved Apple TV, which aims to provide users with a far more robust and unified experience than its predecessor. As it did with the iPad Pro and iPhone 6s, Apple has allowed some journalists hands-on time with the new Apple TV after today's event and subsequently the first impressions of the device have been shared online.

The Verge went hands-on with the new Apple TV, and while they found the new remote to be "frenetic" at first, they noted the sensitive controls are easy to get used to, even in a brief demo environment. The site also liked the slight visual overhaul thanks to tvOS, and called the device a "meaningful" upgrade to the Apple TV line, but was left unsure whether it met Apple's massive vision detailed during today's conference.

Variety's brief demo with the new set-top box found that the overall experience has been uniquely tuned around Siri and Siri's in-depth search parameters. Specifically, the site was a fan of the device's "fast and fluid" interface, along with the new remote control and the possibility of future Apple Watch integration.

Using voice to control Apple TV worked fairly well during my brief hands-on test, which says something: My German accent tends to throw off voice recognition systems, but Siri had no problems searching for foreign comedies when asked to do so.

Apple TV is based on pretty powerful hardware, and that shows when you navigate the device’s home screen. Scrolling through apps with the remote control’s touchpad is fast and fluid, app icons are 3D-animated, and the interface looks a lot lighter than that of the previous-generation Apple TV.

On the downside, Variety noted that much of the in-video alternate functionality shown off by Apple during the media event -- like searching for actors while a movie plays -- is limited to iTunes videos for the time being. The site also found some roadblocks when continuing to inquire into specific categories with Siri, with the voice assistant sometimes stumbling over whether they were beginning a new query or continuing insight into a previous one. In the end, while they liked the brief experience, Variety wasn't sure Apple completely "changed the TV experience," as the company hoped to do.

Siri also stumbled when asked to show TV shows from ABC, something an Apple employee attributed to the fact that the demo was optimized for movies. Also notable: Siri wasn’t actually that smart about connecting the dots. Follow-up questions have to start with certain keywords, otherwise Siri thinks it’s a new question. Launching an app or game requires users to use the word "open," and not "go to." And the MLB app wouldn't open, just because I said "Open MLB.tv," not "Open At Bat."

Apple CEO Tim Cook said Wednesday that no one had changed the TV experience - and the new Apple TV doesn’t really change it either.

SlashGear said the physical Apple TV set-top box "isn't quite as aesthetically pleasing," as the existing version, but thought the brighter tvOS and slick menu controls were far ahead of the current Apple TV. The site also noted the accessibility of the remote's IR blaster -- which allows the small device to control a TV's volume -- and the ability to support MFI-certified controllers, like Bluetooth gamepads, is a plus for anyone looking into the new gaming App Store section of the Apple TV.

What you do engage with is the new remote control. It feels more like a mashup of a 1st-gen iPod nano and a MacBook trackpad, with the touch surface for navigation being very sensitive: at first, I skittered through the revamped interface, the icons tilting and bobbing as I went.

tvOS - built on top of iOS and with the primary changes being to how easily viewed the interface is from across the room - feels familiar, though the brighter color scheme is a little more engaging than the dour black of the current Apple TV. It also feels a little like Android TV at times.

The new Apple TV will be available in late October for $149 (32GB) and $199 (64GB). Besides TV and movie functionality, Apple introduced a few gaming-centric features today, including unique co-operative play for certain game titles and the announcement of the first gamepad for the new Apple TV.